Main menu

Gays Blast Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s Lesbian Comments

Earlier this week Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of ABC’s “The View,” set off a wave of criticism for her comments about older lesbians. She made the comments after her co-host Whoopi Goldberg mentioned that many more older women have come out and announced they are in same-sex relationships. Hasselbeck responded:

“I’ll tell you what’s happening. Older men are going for younger women and leaving the women with no one.”

Hasselbeck’s co-host Joy Behar shot back completely negating Hasselbeck’s ridiculous assertion: “Being gay is not just holding hands and walking through the tulips. I don’t think that you suddenly wake up and say, ‘You know, I think I want to do that.’ You wanted to do it; you were just trapped in a system that said ‘get married.’”

The comments have not gone unnoticed in the mainstream media or on the web. The New York Daily Newspicked up on the story, along with Jezebel and several other outlets.

During a recent Television Critics Association presentation some a few of the cast members from Showtime’s, The Real L Word criticized Hasselbeck. As reported by ACESHOWBIZ:

Asked for a comment, “Real L Word” cast Nikki Weiss who admitted in her profile she is new to the lesbian scene said, “I know that Elisabeth is really conservative, but it was also a really hurtful and ignorant comment. I don’t know why she’d say it. [Maybe because] she doesn’t usually have anything smart to bring to the table.”

Meanwhile, Rose Garcia snapped, “I was gonna say something a little less PC,” adding “you know, Elisabeth, it’s not the first time you’ve said some boneheaded comment.” They wondered if Hasselbeck would apologize to them. Weiss even offered herself, “I’d sit down with Elisabeth and the panel.”

The next time Elisabeth Hasselbeck decides to talk about women coming out later in life we here at GLAAD would strongly advise her to consult Dr. Lisa Diamond at the University of Utah. Diamond has appeared in a range of national outlets including the Washington Post and the Oprah Winfrey Show. Diamond is an expert on human sexuality and has the knowledge and background to educate media personalities like Hasselbeck on why many women come out later in life. If Hasselbeck talks with Diamond she can have an informed discussion about this topic instead of throwing out bogus speculation that women come out later because they can’t find a man.